In another twenty-four hours, the campaigns would be over, and the curtains drawn on all political activities as the people proceed to the polls for the Edo State 2024 governorship election, which will be held on Saturday, September 21st. It’s been a period of intense campaigns and tension in the State depicting signs of a
In another twenty-four hours, the campaigns would be over, and the curtains drawn on all political activities as the people proceed to the polls for the Edo State 2024 governorship election, which will be held on Saturday, September 21st. It’s been a period of intense campaigns and tension in the State depicting signs of a keen contest among the major political parties in the state. It is essentially a three-horse race between the incumbent PDP, the APC, and the Labour Party.
With a total of 2,629,025 registered voters in the state, the electorates will have 18 candidates on the ballot, all of them have traveled throughout the State, canvassing for support to the limit of their abilities and financial resources. It is reflection time for the voters who will have their different reasons to make their choice.
However, based on the level of popularity and acceptance, the poll is a three-horse race among the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP), Monday Okpebholo, Asue Ighodalo and Olumide Akpata, respectively.
Senator Monday Okpebholo, the APC candidate, is currently a senator representing the Edo Central senatorial district who is going neck to neck with his counterparts in the PDP and LP, Asue Ighodalo and Olumide Akpata, two successful lawyers. While Ighodalo is not strange to governance in the State, having served as an economic adviser to Adams Oshiomole, former governor of the state, and a member of Obaseki’s economic team. Olumide Akpata was a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Mr Asue Ighodalo
Apart from being familiar with the terrain of leadership and governance in the state, Ighodalo is being fielded by the ruling party in the state, with absolute support from the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki, who anointed him as his successor even at the expense of his deputy. The PDP candidate also falls into the favourite position of the political zoning sentiment in the state as an Esan land indigene, Edo Central, a region that by consensus is agreed should produce the next chief executive of the State.
Though the zone he comes from is one of his advantages, some political analysts contend that Ighodalo’s affiliation with Obaseki may also work against him because the state governor’s performance will be used to evaluate both his leadership and candidature. The campaign was made a referendum on Obaseki’s tenure by his two major opponents.
But in his manifesto tagged “Pathway to Prosperity for All, Ighodalo promised the Edo people to put “strategic attention placed on the well-being of the Edo people, economic growth, environment, good governance, security, and order.
“I see a pathway to prosperity for our people and our state. I see a path to lifting the highest number of people into prosperity by implementing the most comprehensive social welfare program ever witnessed in south-south Nigeria,” he said in the manifesto.
“I see a path to making Edo State the safest state to live and work, a place where everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcare. I see a path where the regeneration of Nigeria will begin right here in Edo, the heartbeat of the nation.”
Senator Monday Okpebholo
For Monday, Okpebholo, the APC candidate, his strength as political muscle in his Senatorial District is a significant advantage for him to swing the pendulum of the outcome of the election to himself. Aside from his ability to mobilise grassroots support, the relevance of his party as the central power is being calculated as a plus for him. No doubt that getting support from the former state governor of the state and a major stakeholder in APC, Senator Adams Oshiomole, will put him in the spotlight to attract support.
However, some observers have attributed his shortcomings to the likelihood that he will not receive support from other regions of the state, despite the consensus in the state to back a candidate from the state’s central region, to which Okpebholo belongs, along with his PDP rival, as some political pundits also argue that could make him even split votes in his home base yet get little from the other part.
Also, despite having federal backing, there have been insinuations that the APC candidate has lower eloquence to reassert his policies to the state, an angle his oppositions have been working to break his chances of winning the poll.
Meanwhile, part of his five-point manifesto could provide respite to Edo residents, as he stated in one of his campaigns to focus on infrastructure and agriculture.
“We would declare a state of emergency on our roads”, just as he promised to focus on agriculture as part of his five-point programme, adding “We would engage in mechanized agriculture.”
Mr. Olumide Akpata
Meanwhile, Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party took a step opposite the conventional establishment in the state by not subscribing to the non-documented agreement to yield the floor to a candidate from Edo Central. Mr Olumide is a learned lawyer from the most populated and the zone with the highest numbers of registered voters in the state, the Edo South Senatorial district.
Mr Akpata believes the population of his people could play a significant role in his victory at the poll. More significantly, the Labour Party’s impact during the general election of 2023, when the party, through the candidacy of Mr. Peter Obi, received over half of the votes cast for the presidential election.
Even though some political pundits have observed that there is a decrease in his chance of beating the candidates of the APC and PDP, some are expecting Mr. Akpata to cause an upset in a dramatic way to get to the most coveted seat in the state.
Confident in his abilities, Mr. Akpata traveled the state speaking about his manifesto, which he titled “My Pact with the People of Edo State,” eloquently and assuring Edo people of his vision to create a healthy stable, inclusive economy.
His manifesto anchored on an 8-point agenda: Economy and Job Creation, Roads and Related Infrastructure, Electricity and Energy Access, Agriculture and Food Security, Education, Healthcare, Security of Lives and Property, and Other Essential Infrastructure.
Speaking about his plans, he said “We can create jobs, improve public service, and give Papa, Mama, and Pikin a fair shot at success”.
“Our strategy for economic development is multi-faceted. We will deploy this three-pronged strategy for rapid economic development, revenue growth, fiscal management, business enabling environment, and industrialisation.
“Converting Edo State into an economic or industrial hub, supporting production, or generally engendering economic development would not be possible without a reliable electricity supply to drive operations and keep systems running. In the same way, our markets, schools, hospitals, and MSMEs cannot operate optimally without a dependable electricity supply. Efficient and steady electricity supply will also improve the standard of living, create jobs, and reduce the cost of doing business within the state. Thus, addressing the electricity needs of Edo State in a sustainable manner is central to our agenda.”
The Die Is Cast
As suspense around the poll continues to build up, these factors have been identified as factors that may swing the victory for one of the candidates at the poll on Saturday. Politicians are fond of springing last-minute surprises. There are concerns about voter apathy due to the threat of insecurity on the day of the poll. There are high expectations from INEC and its conduct which would determine the credibility or otherwise of the election. The focus of the entire country is on the Edo election and Nigerians are apprehensive that the election should be peaceful.
